Quidditch
Quidditch is the most popular sport in the wizarding world. It consists of two teams, flying on broomsticks, trying to outscore each other by throwing the Quaffle through the hoops at either end of the pitch. It is played worldwide, and there are many international competitions, the biggest of which is the Quidditch World Cup, which takes place every four years. It has existed for around a thousand years,Quidditch Through the Ages - Chapter 3 (The Game From Queerditch Marsh) and can be played at an amateur or professional level. History Beginnings Quidditch probably originated in Queerditch Marsh in the 11th century. Its beginnings were recorded by Gertie Keddle, who witnessed it her neighbours playing it, in her diary. Her account describes early forms of goal-scoring with a leather ball that is surely the precursor to the Quaffle, and two heavy rocks which appear to be early versions of Bludgers. A century later, Goodwin Kneen describes a game called 'Kwidditch' in a letter to his cousin, which had then evolved to include barrels on stilts as goalposts, and positions such as 'Catcher'. By this point, the flying rocks of Queerditch Marsh had become 'Blooders', and they were hit by players carrying bats. Introduction of the Snitch The idea of catching a Snitch-like object was introduced into the game by Barberus Bragge, Chief of the Wizards' Council, in 1269. Bragge was attending a Quidditch match and brought a caged Golden Snidget along with him. The Snidget is a tiny, golden bird that flies with incredible speed, and so, to introduce some excitement into the game, Bragge released the bird and told the players that whoever caught it would win 150 Galleons. The players all raced after it, but a witch named Modesty Rabnott, who was incensed by this abuse of the creature, summoned it and set the Snidget free. Despite her actions, the use of the Snidget in Quidditch became commonplace, with a 'Hunter' on each team assigned to catch it. The game ended when the bird was killed and the Hunter's team was awarded 150 points, reflecting the prize promised by Bragge. However, as Snidget numbers were rapidly falling, their use in Quidditch was outlawed by Elfrida Clagg the following century. Bowman Wright created a metal ball that imitated the size and behaviour of the Snidget as a substitute, an invention he called the Golden Snitch.Quidditch Through the Ages - Chapter 4 (The Arrival of the Golden Snitch) Threat of Muggle discovery As the popularity of Quidditch grew, it became increasingly difficult to hide it from the notice of Muggles. In 1362, the Wizards’ Council banned all Quidditch-playing within 50 miles of towns; in 1368, this was amended to 100 miles. In 1419, they issued a ‘famously worded decree’ that it should not be played ‘anywhere near any place that a Muggle might be watching or we’ll see how well you can play whilst chained to a dungeon wall.’Quidditch Through the Ages - Chapter 5 (Anti-Muggle Precautions) The existence of major competitions such as the Quidditch World Cup was threatened in 1692 with the implementation of the International Statute of Secrecy, and so a regulatory body, the ICWQC, was set up to prevent them from discovery by Muggles.Pottermore - History of the Quidditch World Cup The Department of Magical Games and Sports was later established by the British Ministry of Magic for similar reasons. Rules The basic premise of Quidditch is that the team that scores the most points wins. There are two ways of achieving this. The first is by scoring goals with the Quaffle, a large, red ball that is passed between the Chasers, thus earning the team ten points. The second is by catching the Golden Snitch, an extremely fast and hard-to-spot ball, which wins 150 points and also ends the game. Meanwhile, players have to withstand the Bludgers, two violent, black balls that have been enchanted to knock players off their brooms. The Department of Magical Games and Sports established a series of rules upon its formation.Quidditch Through the Ages - Chapter 6 (Changes in Quidditch Since the Fourteenth Century) They are as follows: #Players must not cross the boundary lines of the pitch, or else surrender the Quaffle to the opposing team. They can, however, reach whatever height they like. #Players' feet may only reach the ground during a 'time-out', which occurs when the Captain signals to the referee. The maximum length of a time-out is two hours, provided the match has lasted over twelve hours, and failure to return to the game after this period results in disqualification. #The referee can award penalties, which are taken by a Chaser from the scoring area. All other players must stay back. #Players must never grab any part of another player's anatomy; they may only take the Quaffle from their possession. #Players cannot be substituted if injured. The team must play on without the injured player. #Players are legally entitled to carry wands onto the pitch (in accordance with the International Statute of Secrecy), but must under no circumstances use them on the opposing team, the opposing team's brooms, the balls, the referee or the crowd. The ban on using wands was first imposed in 1538. #The game only ends when the Snitch is caught or by the two captains' agreement. Fouls There are seven hundred fouls in Quidditch, and all of them were committed during the final of the first Quidditch World Cup in 1473. The full list is kept by the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and is unavailable to the public, for fear they might 'get ideas'. According to Kennilworthy Whisp, ninety percent of these fouls involve the use of a wand against the opposing team. The remaining ten percent involve such acts as setting fire to an opposing player's broom, or attacking them with a club or axe. Positions Each team has seven players: one Keeper, three Chasers, two Beaters and one Seeker. Their roles are as follows: Pitch The Quidditch pitch has not altered in design since 1883, when the baskets used for scoring were replaced by hoops. The pitch is oval-shaped, and features three golden hoops at each end, fifty feet high in the air.Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Chapter 10 (Halloween) The 14th century pitch was, according to Zacharias Mumps, five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide. There was also a small circle in the centre of the pitch from which the referee would release the balls. The baskets used at the time for scoring were large, but decreased in size over the centuries. The Department of Magical Games and Sports eventually decided to replace them with hoops because basket size was not standardised, and could be used to unfairly disadvantage the opposing team. Scoring areas were introduced by the 17th century. References Category:Quidditch Category:Sports